As evidenced, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,823,924 granted to A. A. Williams on September 22, 1931, it has for many years been customary to provide shoes equipped with steel box toes incorporated between the upper and the lining in the toe portion of the shoe, the purpose being to protect the toes of the wearer from injury which would otherwise occur when heavy objects are accidentally dropped on the toe portion of the shoe. Recently safety box toe shoes have become of marked attention because of the requirements of OSHA. For example, the present requirements for the highest classification of safety toe shoes require that a specimen shoe be subjected to a test in which a weight is dropped on the toe portion of the shoe under conditions such that it exerts an impact of 75 foot pounds on the toe. If the result is to depress the toe so that the clearance inside the toe portion is less than 1/2 inch, the shoe has not passed the test. Moreover, the toe portion must also be subjected to compression of 2,500 pounds; again, if the toe portion is depressed to provide less than one-half inch clearance, the shoe has not passed the test.
In so-called cement shoes no particular problem is presented, since it is merely a matter of providing safety toes of suitable steel alloy, thickness and dimensions. In such shoes the safety toe can be produced having a relatively broad base flange of sufficient width to distribute the stresses exerted by the steel toe when it encounters a blow. However, an acute problem is presented when it is desired to manufacture welt shoes having cushion outsoles. Of course welt shoes are generally favored because of the ease with which they can be re-soled when necessary. Furthermore, workmen prefer cushion outsoles, such as crepe rubber, since they are more comfortable and less tiring. However, a steel toe having a sufficiently broad base flange cannot be incorporated in ordinary welt construction, since the flange would interfere with the needle as it forms the inseam which joins the overlasted margin of the upper and the welt to the conventional sewing rib formed on the lower surface of the insole.
It is the principal object of this invention to provide a safety box toe system which can be incorporated in a welt shoe having a resilient cushion sole, without interfering with the conventional operations involved in welt shoemaking.
One approach to the problem is suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 2,438,016 to H. G. McMurray issued Mar. 16, 1948. That patent discloses a discontinuous welt which cooperates with a separate toe plug cemented in place, the result being that there is no inseam about the toe portion of the shoe. While that construction is feasible, it adds to the cost of making the shoe, since additional operations are required. I am also aware of U.S. Pat. No. 1,826,645 issued to J. U. Bergquist on Oct. 6, 1931. That patent discloses a construction including a steel box toe and a metal supporting plate, both being incorporated in a vulcanized rubber boot. The plate and the steel toe are in contact with each other, and the construction is one which would not be feasible in a welt shoe construction.
Another approach has been to provide a steel box toe with a flange of relatively narrow width and to subject the toe portion of the insole to a reducing step which, in effect, sinks the flange of the steel toe sufficiently beneath the surface of the insole so that it does not intercept the inseam needle, but shoes so made will not pass the most stringent OSHA test. Moreover, the extra step of producing the insole adds to the cost of manufacture.